Home Remodeling Turned Bad.

This case arose out of a home remodeling incident. Upon purchasing property, this new homeowner hired several friends to help gut the property. The homeowner instructed that all scrap wood and everything else that could be burned be placed in a damaged in-ground pool that was scheduled to be removed.

Once all the burnable scraps were placed in the pool, the homeowner invited a group of friends over to enjoy a bonfire.  Bad idea #1.

Old gas from a lawn mower was used as an igniter.  Bad idea #2.  The gas was placed on in the pool and paper was lit to ignite the gas. Between the placement of the gas and ignition, a cloud of gas fumes developed in the pool and it was unable to escape. Upon ignition, there was a loud explosion causing small amounts of debris came out of the pool; however, no body was hurt and there was no property damage.

As a result of the loud bang, the local fire department arrived on scene to extinguish the fire. The local police also arrived and the state ultimately issued a warrant for my client with the following charges:

Reckless burning, class D felony; Breach of peace 2nd degree, class B misdemeanor; criminal mischief 3rd degree, class B misdemeanor; illegal discharge of gasoline, class E felony; and Reckless endangerment 2nd degree, class B misdemeanor.

Our role in defending a case like to

This article is more of an antidote to heed caution when using combustible liquids.